Don’t create problems where they don’t exist

October 17, 2013

Comments

rap1950

Children should not be ***********(abused?). And even though I am in favor of legalizing same sex marriage, I think children should grow up feeling and being safe. I would be against any law that would legalize child abuse. The slippery slope argument is not a valid argument, even though I am tempted to use it myself sometimes.

rap1950

"Poverty and alcoholism and child *********** are here to stay,but that doesn't make it a good thing or something that society should accept and celebrate."

Unfortunately it looks like poverty is here to stay - because it is accepted, and some people do celebrate it and think it is a good thing. And some use the Bible to justify it.

We are all imperfect. It is unfortunate the some people's imperfection is expressed in alcoholism. But it seems that many, perhaps most, people like getting a high, some how or other, sometime during their lives. And most of them don't get into trouble. That's part of being human for many people.

rap1950

There are Christians who are comfortable with same sex marriage. They aren't Nazis. They study the Bible and reach a conclusion different than your own. How is it your interpretation controls? If your church doesn't want to marry same sex couples - don't. But except that you think that it is wrong, there is no reason to prohibit it because there is no harm to society in allowing it, in fact, there is much good.

rap1950

Should we initially grant straight couples civil unions, domestic partnerships and the like?They would only be allowed to marry after they have a child.

Could childless straight couples marry if they adopted a child? If so, why would this be different for a same sex couple?

If you think all straight couples provide "healthy environments" for raising children, I think you are mistaken.

Children, like dogs, can not give informed consent. That being said let me state the obvious. Allowing same sex couples to marry in no way prevents the enactment of laws that prohibit parents from marrying their own children, brothers from marrying sisters, pedophilia or **********.

rap1950

I don't want to spend a great deal of time responding to comments. Having said that:

1) No one addresses my arguments directly. One comment makes the argument Why can't a person marry a goat? - I think it was a goat. I wrote about this in my letter. Did the person read it?

2) This is not a left/right issue. You're kidding yourself if you think it is. And red-baiting is not an argument.

3) Many comments mention the Bible. Fair enough, but there are Christians and Christian denominations that accept same-sex marriage. How on a given issue does one decide whose interpretation of the Bible controls?

There is no down side to allowing same-sex marriage and much good. In a secular country made up of a variety of religions and a variety of sects and denominations within some religions, the government should treat all couples equally. If your faith is opposed to same-sex marriage, and again not every faith is, then perform marriages for only opposite sex couples.

ARCADIAN

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle."

Then there is another passage where they lie down in a field together.

And various laying of heads upon breasts.

And, by the way, where exactly did Jesus condemn homosexuality? One might think, that if it is so evil, he might have mentioned it...

But no, he and his merry band of men just camped out together...

Do you really think that Jesus created this fleeing naked young man just to comply with ancient prophecy?

ARCADIAN

If the accounts of the Christian bible are true, then that god sanctioned and encouraged polygamy on an industrial scale, not to mention child rape, child slavery, child marriage, incest, genocides, torture, human sacrifice and a lot of stuff we now consider immoral. And, oh yeah, on the night Jesus was arrested one Gospel even mentions a naked fleeing young man. What was he doing amongst all those male disciples? And why was he naked? And then there was King David, ***** as heck...

Eventually however, religious leaders recognized that controlling who could have sex with whom and when was a powerful tool, and restrictive rules, supposedly given by that same god were created, so the priests could control the community. (They also sought to control diet, clothing, and other forms of behaviour as well).

So religion is hardly the place to look for any permanent rules of morality.

Not sure where to find them, but I guess it is good to start with the Hippocratic oath; First do no

deadhead

a letter well written and on the right side of history. in one more generation the children will look back in amazement that something obvious was challenged in the first place... they tried to keep black people segregated from all aspects of life in the south... it is now looked at by children with bewilderment... did we really do that?

SisterSledge

Bullhead

You state, "'Consenting adult' is the term I'm looking for. Children are mentally incapable of giving informed consent."

And, define that term in a legal manner? When is each individual "child" at an age to make decisions?

Is it fair that some mature younger children are excluded from Marriage because some adults said that they weren't ready?

The reality is that it varies, yet our society has codified 18 for adulthood and different ages for Marriage.

Likewise, our society codified Marriage when it recognized God's standard between one man and one woman. Those inclined toward homosexuality are now attempting to redefine that law--the same as young children should be allowed to do (using your logic).

HillTopWV

Minor loves to mention child molester, Jerry Sandusky, a devoted Christian who has received the sympathy and even the defense of Christian pastors and priests of several denominations. Sandusky was enabled by his religion and co-religionists, and still defended by them. A Catholic priest even suggested that those boys seduced Sandusky (a window on how some Catholic priests justify themselves).

Yet these same religionists rise up in righteous indignation that two adults of the same sex might marry.

chill633

Bullhead: Answering only your question of "Or, children can give consent, so why shouldn't that be legal?"

No, children can NOT give legal consent.

Majoritan: Two answers to your questions. First is the cat (or any animal or inanimate object) can't give legal consent, which was addressed by the letter writer. And as for Father/Son...Woody Allen set precedent here, so I'm betting it will be allowed eventually.

Bullhead

"So live and let live. Life is too short to create problems where none should exist."

This is an odd statement considering it is the homosexual group, Fairness WV, who is using the bully-force of government to trample on other people's Freedom of association, freedom of conscience, and private-property rights.

And, this author conveniently leaves out that relatives can give consent, so why shouldn't that be legal? Or, children can give consent, so why shouldn't that be legal? Or multiple partners (say a group of 300) can give consent, so why shouldn't that be legal?

The "logic" used by this letter writer is lacking.

Government needs to get out of trying to define Marriage. It was defined by God long ago. Government should simply recognize a civil union between 2 adults. Until such time, however, it should not recognize Marriage for homosexuality.